Folding ladder.



W. ORTWIG & E. G. BRYANT FOLDING LADDER.

APPLIGATION FILED APR. 16, 1914.

mmmw, Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ME NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTO-LITHO VIASHINGTON D. c

W. OETWIG & B. O. BRYANT.

FOLDING LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.16, 1914.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

glwvemtoz THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D. c.

nnrrnn snares A ENT U QE witmaivr ORT WIG, or s'r. meant neat c. BRYANT, or SPRINGFIELD, nxssoum.

ronnnve LADDER.

Licence.

To all whom it may concern I Be 11; known that we, VVILIJIA ORTWIG, a

,citizen of the United States, residing at 220' F leeman street, St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of. Missouri, and EARL C. BRYANT, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Greene and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Ladders; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and-exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apper- Y tains to, make and usethe same.

j i Y nnprovementsln step ladders and more par- This inventionrelates to new and useful ticularly to a step bracing construction therefor, and the primary object of the invention is to provide animproved construction for bracing the steps of a ladder where by to securely retain thesame in position under all conditions. v

A further object of the invention resides in providing a knee brace between the steps of a ladder and the side bars thereof.

A still further, object resides in providing an improved means for securing the knee bracein position.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing a construction which is simple and inexpensive and onewhich will be extremely eflicient in use.

WVith theseand other objects in view, our invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter referred to and'more particularly pointed out in the specification andcl'aims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ladder constructed in accordance with our invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a detail of the invention; Fig. .4 is asimilar view of the knee brace; Fig. 5 is an inverted perspective view ofone of'the platelike arms; Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sideelevation, partlyin section, of thepivotal connection between the ladder and support therefor;

Fig. 7 is a section as seen on line .77 of Fig. 1; Fig. Sis a plan view, partly in season, of theball bearing pivot connection;

and Fig. 9 is a section as seen on line 9-9 of Fig. 2. j

In describing the invention, we shall refer to the drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts Specification of I ietterslatent. I PatentgdFeb 1Q 1915 Application filed April 16, 1914. Serial No. 832,238.-

throughout the several views and in which, 1 lndicates a ladder comprising the side bars 2 which tend to converge upwardly and the steps 3 which are supported between said side bars. The manner ofrsecuring and supporting the steps in position between the side bars, forms the essential part of this inventionwhich will be hereinafter moreparticularly set forth. Pivotally secured to the outer face of th side bars 2 at the upper ends thereof through the medium of the ball bearing connections 4, are the additional side bars 5 of a support for the ladder. These sidebars 5 are braced in position by means of the upper and lower transverse bars 6 and the diagonal cross bars 7. This complete support is adapted to receive the ladder between the side bars thereof in folding the device, the bars 6 and 7 limiting the movement in one direction of the support and ladder proper with respect to one another. In order to limit the swinging movement of the ladder and support with respect to one another in opposite directions, slotted bars- 8 are provided, the same being pivoted at their one ends as in dicated at 9 to the inner faces .of the side rails 5. Studs' lO are provided on the outer faces of the side rails 2 whichare extended through the slots of said bars and through this medium it is obvious that the outward and securing said steps in position and to this end, substantially triangularly designed strips or plates 11 are applied to the outer faces of the side rails 2 contiguous with the horizontal planes of the steps 3.v The one side edge of each. strip is arranged flush with the rear edge of the side rail and one adj acent side edge is substantially in the same horizontal plane with the plane of the under face of the adjacent step, as clearly shown in the drawings. Formed on the inner face of each of the triangularly designed strips or plates 11 at the corners thereof, are the laterally extending projections 12 which are designed to be received snugly in sockets or openings 13 in the siderails 2 and bores are provided in said projections which extend completely therethrough and through the plate or strip 11. We prefer to so'construct these plates or strips 11 as to position the I outer faces of the projections 12 about midway of the faces of the side rails of the ladder, but the bores continue through said side rails of a diameterequal to bore of the projections. It'will thus be seen that a pair of sockets are provided in a plane just below the under face ,of each step at each end of the ladder, while an additional socket is provided in a'plane a short distance therebelow. T he projections 12 within these sockets form bearings for purposes to be hereinafter described. I

Secured to the upper face of each step at points adjacent the ends thereof, are the strips or elongated plates 14 which are counter-sunk in place and have the ends thereof bent downwardly to engage the front and rear edges of said step. These strips or plates may be secured in place by means of bolts or the like 15, the heads of the latter being preferably counter-sunk in the top faces of said plates, so as not to interfere with the smooth surface" of said steps. Secured to the under faces of each step by means'of the same bolts 15 which secure the plates 14 in place, are the laterally project ing plates or arms 16. These plate-like arms 'l6n1ay be additionally secured in position if .desired,,so, as to befirmly supported in place and the outer ends thereof are provided with integral pins or studs 17 which are threaded for engagement with the threaded bores of the upper projections 12 'on said plates or strips 11; These projections 12 form substantially bearings 'for the receptionof the projections 17 of the platelike arms 16 andit will be seen that when said 16 are properly positioned, the samewill be secure in their fastenings and support the steps at both ends thereof,

In order to secure each plate 14 in position on the steps, a pair of bolts is provided and engagedwith the lower end of the bolt adjacent the rear edge 'of the step is an angularly bent end of a knee-shaped brace or support 18. This kneeor support is preferably --bolt'-like in formation and has the upper end which is engaged by one of the'bolts 15 flattened as indicated at 19 to provide a' bearing surface thereon. The lower angular end of the knee-shaped support 18 indicated as 20 is bentoutwardly and threaded for engagemerit in the bearing or projection 12 at the lowerportion of the adjacent strip or plate 11. Nuts are of course applied to the bolts 15 and when turnedhome will securely retain the-parts engaged by the bolt in their respective positions. It willbe seen that the nuts on the bolts 15 nearer the rear edge of eachstep retain the plates 14, 16 and the supports 18 in position on the step. The knee-shaped supports 18 when properly "positioned as described, will securely brace the steps in position in addition to the bracing meansalready described so that said steps are securely held in position between the side rails and adapted to bear all weights.

From the foregoing description of the construction of our improved step bracing mechanism for ladders, the manner of applying the same to use will be readily understood and it will be seen'that we have provided a bracing means which is simple and durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and one which will be very eflicient in use.

While we have particularly described the elements best adapted to perform the functions set forth, it is obvious that various changes in form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the principles of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is:

1. In a ladder construction, the combination with a side rail and a step therefor; of a plate applied to the outer face of said side rail and having internally threaded projections thereon received in said side rail and forming bearings therein, plates secured to the under face of said step having projections formed thereon and engaged with certain of the aforesaid threaded bearings-to brace the step in position and additional means in connection wtih the step and another of said threaded bearings to additionally brace said step with respect to the side rail.

2. In a ladder construction, the combination with a side rail and step therefor; of a plate appliedto the outer face of said side rail and having projections thereon received in said side rails, said projections being designed to form bearings therein, plates secured to the under face of said step having projections thereon received in certain of the aforesaid bearings to brace the step to the side rail, and a knee-shaped support also secured to the under face of said step and having one end thereof engaged with another of said hearings to additionally support said step in position with respect to the side rail.

3. In a ladder construction, the combination with a side rail and step therefor; of a triangularly designed strip applied to the outer face of the side rail and having inwardly extending projections received through said side rail, said projections being designed to form bearings in said side rail and a pair of said bearings being arranged in substantially the same horizontal plane, a pair of plates applied to the under face of the step and having projections on the outer ends thereof received in the last mentioned pair of bearings to brace the step,

and a'knee-shaped supporting arm also secured at its one end to said step and having its other end received in the other of said bearings whereby to brace the step and side rail With respect to one another.

l. In a step construction for ladders, the combination With a side rail and step therefor, of a triangularly designed strip applied to the outer face of the rail having projections at the corners thereof received through said rail, said projections being designed to form bearings and a pair of said bearings being arranged substantially in the same horizontal plane, a pair of plates sestep therefor, of a triangularly designed strip applied to the outer face of said rail having projections at the corners thereof received through said rail, said projections being designed to form bearings and a pair of said bearings being arranged in substantially the same horizontal plane, a plate extending transversely of the upper face of the said step adjacent the side rail, the ends of said plate being depended and engaged With the front and rear edges of the step, a pair of plate-like arms applied to the under face of said step and having projections at the outer ends thereof received in the last mentioned pair of bearings, means eXtend- 40 ing through said step for simultaneously securing the plate and arms thereto, and a knee-shaped support having one end thereof engaged With a portion of the last mentioned means to secure the same to the under face of said step, the opposite end of said knee-shaped support extending outwardly and engaged with the other of the aforesaid bearings, whereby to securely brace said step With respect to the side rail.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

,WILLIAM ORTVVIG.

EARL C. BRYANT.

Witnesses as to Ortvvig:

E. L. SMITH, T. J. MOODY. Witnesses as to Bryant: EUGENE JONES, BENTLY I. NEWBERRY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, I). C. 

